Singapore, Monday – The world’s largest palm oil trader, Wilmar International, has published a detailed action plan to map and monitor all of its suppliers. If implemented, this would put the palm oil giant, which supplies 40% of the world’s palm oil, one step closer to finally eliminating deforestation from its supply chain and would have a major impact on the rest of the industry.

“Wilmar supplies palm oil to most of the world’s major food and cosmetics brands. So today’s announcement is a potential breakthrough. If Wilmar keeps its word, by the end of 2019 it will be using satellites to monitor all of its palm oil suppliers, making it almost impossible for them to get away with forest destruction. Greenpeace will be watching closely to make sure Wilmar delivers,” said Kiki Taufik, Global Head of Indonesian Forests Campaign, Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

The move follows an intensive global campaign by Greenpeace that aimed to end deforestation for palm oil across the supply chain of the biggest household brands and palm oil buyers in the world. Over 1.3 million people signed a Greenpeace petition calling for an end to deforestation for palm oil.

Greenpeace is now pausing its campaign to give Wilmar space to put this plan into action.

Forest destruction for commodity production is fuelling a climate and extinction crisis. Scientists warn that keeping global warming below a 1.5ºC rise means ending deforestation and restoring forests. Brands and traders promised to clean up their supply chains by 2020. [1] However, with less than 400 days to go companies are still failing across the board, in part because traders and their customers failed to gather the maps of their suppliers’ plantations needed to monitor what happens on the ground.

Wilmar’s new action plan is designed to address that gap: it commits Wilmar to map its suppliers’ entire landbank by the end of 2019, including concessions from which it does not yet source, and to use high-resolution satellite monitoring to check for deforestation. Companies caught clearing rainforest are to be immediately suspended.

Wilmar’s announcement puts pressure on the rest of the sector, including other major commodities traders like Golden Agri Resources and Musim Mas that also source palm oil from forest destroyers. Household brands like Mondelez, Nestlé and Unilever, source from many different suppliers and have a responsibility to see equivalent commitments rolled out across the industry.

“As the world wakes up to the climate and extinction crisis, inaction is not an option. Wilmar has taken an important step and must now put its plan into action immediately. Stopping deforestation requires industry-wide action. Other traders and brands must now follow with credible plans to map and monitor all of their suppliers. Equally important is action to end exploitation and human rights abuses in the palm oil sector,” said Taufik.

In December 2013, Wilmar became the first palm oil trader to adopt a ‘no deforestation, no peat, no exploitation’ policy that applied to its own plantations and those of its suppliers. By the end of 2014, all major palm oil traders had adopted similar policies. Yet deforestation for palm oil continues because traders and their customers lack the maps needed to monitor what happens on the ground.

The plantation sector – palm oil and pulp – is the single largest driver of deforestation in Indonesia. Around 24 million hectares of rainforest was destroyed in Indonesia between 1990 and 2015, according to official figures released by the Indonesian government.

Tropical deforestation produces more greenhouse gas emissions each year than the entire European Union; outranking every country except the USA and China. In October 2018, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change called for an immediate end to deforestation to limit global temperature rises to 1.5°C.

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Discussion

WILL GREED TAKE CARE OF THE GLOBAL PLANET ??... THOSE WHO MUCH WANT TO HAVE MORE... NO MATTER AT WHAT COST....
ANIMALS AND NATURE DONT MATTER..... BE AWARE WE WILL FIGHT BACK...

Hi, I am so glad and thankfull fr what Greenpeace is doing allarond the world. I wish I could do more, but I am not healthy enough to do things outside my home. I can support with money and Inthe last four days I have sent 2 x 1000 SEK to Greenpeace. Thats a christmaspresent for my grandchildren. I will be very glad if you could send me 6 of your Christmascards to me. I will give one card to each of my grandchildren. You dont have to write the sum of money on the card. If its short of time, you can send me the card on email.
My postadress is: Kin Schönning
2180 Landsvägen
23170 Anderslöv
Sweden
E-mail:
kin.schonning@gmail.com
Thankyou and a happy new year 2019!

Thank you Kin, we are so grateful for your support! To inquire about Christmas cards, it's best to contact Greenpeace Sweden directly via the info here >> https://stod.greenpeace.org/kontakta-givarservice

Fingers crossed Wilmar are serious about making changes, hopefully soon. But until then I no longer support companies such as Colgate, Nestle and Mondelez. Ill be telling eveyone i meet about the deforestation in Indonesia. Thank you Green peace for your hard work and for spreading the word

Your Rang-Tan in my bedroom advertisement really touched me and helped me to further understand how hurtful the human race can be to the poor animals in the fast decreasing forests in our world. I will do anything in my power to save these poor animals form our selfishness. Thank you for opening my eyes.

We all need to take care of the planet and environment but without action being taken but global corporations and governments then the efforts of individuals will help but it won't be enough. We only have one planet for humans to exist on. It's a beautiful and amazing place and once it's gone then so are we.